Flag of Niger
Niger celebrates Republic Day. It became a republic in 1958 before it became free of French control in 1960. This landlocked country, located in north central Africa, is a bit less than twice the size of Texas. Niger is mostly covered with deserts and mountains. Almost seventeen million people live in Niger, and Niamey is the capital. Older children can learn more at: Niger.
New Jersey Flag
New Jersey became the third state by ratifying the Constitution in 1787. It was named after an island in the English Channel. The state’s nickname is the Garden State, and Trenton is the capital. During the American Revolution, at least one hundred battles were fought in New Jersey. It is one of the most densely populated states. While it contains large cities, it also boasts about its farms and shores. The honeybee is the state insect. Children could visit an Internet site at: New Jersey. They could locate on a map the sites of the Revolutionary War battles. They could find out why so many battles happened in New Jersey.
Amendment Thirteen to the Constitution, outlawing slavery, was adopted in 1865. Congress proposed the amendment on January 31, 1865. By the end of February eighteen states had ratified it. Georgia ratified it on December 6, 1865. Enough states had then ratified the amendment to become official. Older children could research the background behind the amendment at: Amendment Thirteen.
A Western Nutcracker
The Nutcracker, created by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovksy, was performed for the first time in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1892. The ballet was based on Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann’s story, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.” The ballet is performed countless times, especially in the United States, at holiday time. Children can read the wonderfully illustrated The Nutcracker, by Susan Jeffers, to understand the ballet’s story.
Capitol Reef National Park was establishe
d in 1971. Located in southern Utah, the park follows a one hundred-mile wrinkle in the earth’s crust. Visitors can view fossils, petrified trees, and Native American ruins. Children can visit the park’s website, featuring great panoramas and wonderful photos, at: http://www.nps.gov/care.
Joseph Grimaldi (London, England, 1778; died London, England, May 31, 1837) was known as Joey the Clown. His antics added much to theater humor. Children could become clowns today and wear clown makeup. They could organize into small groups and create clown skits.
Judith Heumann (born Brooklyn, New York, 1947; died Washington, DC, March 4, 2023) was called the “Mother of the Disability Rights Movement.” She contracted polio when she was eighteen months old and used a wheelchair the rest of her life. She organized the 504 Sit In that ultimately produced the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. Children could read Fighting for Yes! The Story of Disability Rights Activist Judith Heumann, written by Maryann Cocca-Leffler and illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger.
Paul Klee (born near Bern, Switzerland, 1879; died Muralto, Switzerland, June 29, 1940) was an artist. His paintings exude a dreamlike, fantasy quality. Children could visit a website at: Paul Klee.
Marilyn Sachs (born Bronx, New York, 1927; died San Francisco, California, December 28, 2016) wrote 35 children’s books. Her books include Lost in America and A Pocket Full of Seeds.
Steven Spielberg (born Cincinnati, Ohio, 1946) is a film producer and director. Among his credits are Jurassic Park and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Idea: Spielberg’s movies are very popular. Children could visit: Spielberg. Scholars could investigate the revenues from the movies and make a bar graph to indicate the results.